Power Armor (for space marines, for chaos space marines, for non-space marines, even for xenos!)

What’s in this post?

First up we’re covering the “what about healing” issue with the Apothecary Space Marine monk archetype, then what to do about Chaplains, then the Experienced Soldier fighter archetype (which hits medicae, heavy weapons specialists, and technologically-inclined members of the Imperial Guard).

Apothecary Space Marine (Monk)

You are the caretaker of your chapter, ensuring that the proud line of space marines of which you are a part continues on long after the deaths of you and your charges. While you work to save the lives of your Adeptus Astartes companions, your most sacred duty is to acquire and protect the gene seeds from those who have fallen, ensuring they can be used for the creation of future generations of your brethren. All space marine chapters have apothecaries.

Keeper of the ChapterUnlike other monk player options, you choose this archetype at 2nd level (instead of 3rd) and do not receive a ki pool. You have advantage on Death saving throws and when within 30 feet of a space marine at 0 hit points, are able to spend a bonus action to give them advantage on their next Death saving throw so long as they would otherwise be able to hear you. In addition, you gain proficiency with the healer’s kit. When you use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains 1 hit point. As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to patch a creature up, restoring 1d12 + 4 hit points to it plus additional hit points equal to the creature’s maximum number of Hit Dice. At 6th, 11th, and 17th level, you restore an additional 1d12 hit points (to a maximum of 4d12 + 4 + the creature’s maximum number of hit dice). The creature can’t regain hit points from being patched up again until it finishes a short or long rest.

NartheciumAt 3rd level, your chapter gives you a narthecium, the tool of your trade. It contains various counterseptics, skin patches, transfusions, a practically impregnable strongbox holding stasis tubes for recovering the gene-seed from fallen space marine’s progenoid glands, a high-powered laser scalpel or an adamantine-toothed chainsaw (to cut away armor so that you can treat wounds), and long syringes for utilizing the many drugs stored within. You are able to use your medicio points only while wielding your narthecium and your unarmed strikes only deal your monk damage while using the weapon.

Medicio PointsAlso at 3rd level, you gain a number of medicio points equal to your monk level. Whenever you gain a monk level, your pool of medicio points increases by 1. By spending an action, you can expend medicio points to heal a space marine within reach, restoring 10 hit points per medicio point spent. By spending a bonus action, you can heal another type of creature instead with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check, restoring a number of hit points equal to your bonus on the check. You regain medicio points after finishing a short or long rest.

Surgical CombatBeginning at 6th level, you learn how to best strike a living creature with deadly effectiveness. Once per turn you can deal an extra 1d10 damage to one living creature you hit with melee weapon attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. The amount of the extra damage increases by 1d10 at 11th and 17th level (to a maximum of 3d10).

Quick AmputationAlso at 11th level, you learn how to quickly and effectively amputate. By spending spending an action working an extremis weapon or your narcethium on an ally space marine that is willing, you can cut off a limb. You have advantage on checks made to install cybernetic limbs.

Biological DismantlerStarting at 17th level, you always deal the extra damage from Surgical Combat so long as you are targeting a living creature.

Here’s your Crozius (which your GM gives you when they decide you’ve earned it). It does not suffer from the Corruption rules detailed in Warhammer 40k D&D 5E Hack #1.

CROZIUSMagic weapon, legendaryWhile wielding this enchanted badge of office and potent magic weapon, your weapon attacks are magical and deal 1d4 force damage per two points of proficiency bonus you possess. You are able to focus your Channel Divinity feature through your crozius. Unless the GM says otherwise, in the hands of any creature other than you the crozius is a normal morning star.

Imperial Guard Veteran (Fighter)

Despite the Imperial Guard’s well-deserved reputation for constantly high fatalities, there are men and women that live long enough to retire from martial service for the Imperium of Mankind. Some of these are masters of battle or have championed combat in one realm or another, but most are from heavy weapons teams, medicae, and technical specialists.

Veteran KnacksStarting at 3rd level, your experience in the Emperor’s service has taught you the first vital tool for your military trade. Choose either medicae, heavy weapons, or technical specialist. Once chosen, this choice cannot be changed and all of your archetype features are taken from this battlefield focus.

Medicae: Combat Medicine. You gain proficiency with the healer’s kit. When you use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains 1 hit point. As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to patch a creature up, restoring 1d6 + 4 hit points to it plus additional hit points equal to the creature’s maximum number of Hit Dice. At 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level, you restore an additional 1d6 hit points (to a maximum of 6d6 + 4 + the creature’s maximum number of hit dice). The creature can’t regain hit points from being patched up again until it finishes a short or long rest.

Heavy Weapons: Extremis Wielder. You gain proficiency with one extremis weapon. You must spend a bonus action setting your footing before moving and a reaction settling after moving. When making attack rolls with an extremis weapon, you have disadvantage on your first attack each round if you do not spend a bonus action aiming first.

Technical Specialist: Apprentice Technologist. You gain proficiency with Technology. If you are already proficient, you gain advantage on Intelligence (Technology) checks.

Lesser Veteran KnackAt 7th level, your time in the Imperial Guard has garnered another crucial bit of knowledge for your purpose on the battlefield.

Medicae: Improved Combat Medicine. You can patch up the same creature twice between short or long rests. In addition, you can awaken an unconscious creature as a bonus action as long as you have a healer’s kit (this does not expend a use of it).

Heavy Weapons: Extremis Lugger. You no longer require a bonus action or reaction to move while wielding an extremis weapon. In addition, you gain proficiency in another extremis weapon of your choice.

Technical Specialist: Vehicle Operator. You gain proficiencies with two vehicle types of your choice (air, ground, space, water). At 10th and 15th level, you gain proficiency with another type of vehicle or choose a vehicle type you are already proficient with to have advantage on checks where your vehicle tool proficiency applies.

Greater Veteran KnackBeginning at 10th level, you learn another trick of your role in the Imperial Guard.

Medicae: Expert Combat Medicine. You can patch up the same creature three times between short or long rests and you can do so as a bonus action (instead of an action).

Heavy Weapons: Extremis Veteran. You no longer have a disadvantage on your first attack roll each round when using an extremis weapon. In addition, you gain proficiency in another extremis weapon of your choice.

Technical Specialist: Make It Work. By spending a bonus action on your turn, you can force a piece of broken equipment to function normally for 1 round. You may only affect any single piece of equipment this way a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, after which it is completely destroyed.

Medicae: The Guard Never Die. As long as you reach a creature within a few rounds of its death, as an action you can spend 3 uses of a healer’s kit to attempt a DC 17 Wisdom (Medicine) check to revive it. On a success, the creature is restored it to 0 hit points and dying, making its death saving throws with disadvantage. You are only able to use this feature on a creature that has died within a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

Heavy Weapons: Extremis Endurance. You have advantage on Constitution saving throws and you treat all exremis weapons as if they only weighed 50% less.

Technical Specialist: Maximum Range. You double the ranges of all technological weapons and items that you use.

Elite VeteranStarting at 18th level, you are the best at what you do and new recruits into the Imperial Guard look onto you like you were the God-Emperor himself.

Medicae: The Good Stuff. You have access to the best pharmaceuticals the Imperium offers to their soldiers and they keep you in excellent mental shape. Your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores all increase by 2 (to a maximum of 20).

Heavy Weapons: Extremis Marksman. You have advantage on your first attack roll each round when you are wielding an extremis weapon.

Technical Specialist: Instant Recognition. You’ve spent enough time around technology to recognize the general purpose of any technological item you come across. You may not be able to use it (at least not without intense analysis, and even then probably not well) but you can recognize a weapon or data compiler or what have you when you see it, even if it is made by xenos.

Tune in next week for more class archetypes as we fill
out the heroic (or villainous!) roles for player characters
in the Warhammer 40k D&D 5E Hack! 😀

I don’t want to be that guy but isn’t it redundant to have chaplains be like clerics if we have apotbecaries? I just want to make sure I am reading this right. Aren’t clerics still going to have access to magic? I like the post about the librarian being a Saladin, but wouldn’t it make more sense to have chaplains be paladins and librarians be clerics?

I did struggle with this a bit, but it came down to this: apothecaries can do proper medical doctoring, and chaplains burn the heretic (ie: turn undead –> https://youtu.be/oe-kGakx3CQ). Librarians fit with paladins in my mind because nearly all of their spell list is predicated on offense/defense which is what I’ve gotten out of them in the video games and such, whereas chaplains get all sorts of weirdness attributed to them that gets written off as divine intervention/luck/freak circumstance (because they are of course not psykers).

For the chaplains doing proper magic (which they’d still have access to as paladins so this applies there as well) flavor all of that as “touched by the God-Emperor’s grace, the Chaplain reminds you of your faith in the Imperium and it mends your body and soul” (cure wounds) or “the chaplain recites the catechisms of Roboute Guilliman and your adrenaline surges, giving more strength to your limbs” (enhanced ability) and so on. I’m sure it’d be solid to switch them around though–if you do, shoot it at me and I’ll add it up here and into the google doc. 😀